Compact Hitachi Super Hi-Vision camcorder unveiled by NHK

Jul 31, 2012 No Comments by Jonathan Tustain

NHK has unveiled a new compact Super Hi-Vision camera which will be used to produce regular SHV content by 2014 writes Adrian Pennington

SHV CameraHead Compact Hitachi Super Hi Vision camcorder unveiled by NHK

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The camera will not be used as part of the London Olympics test transmissions. NHK says it plan to start using the camera in SHV production by 2014 after further checks on performance and necessary improvements.

“We have come up with a small SHV camera-head the same size as existing HD cameras,” explained Dr Keiichi Kubota, Director-General of science and technology research labs at NHK. “It weighs only 4 kilos, or less than 20 per cent of the existing SHV cameras. Since the camera adopts the single-chip colour image sensor, the camera can be fitted with a range of the commercially available 35mm full-frame lens for single-lens reflex cameras.”

The camcorder’s single 33 million pixel (7,680 across x 4,320 high) CMOS sensor and can capture at 60 frames per second.

The SHV signals from the camera are uncompressed and output at a data rate of about 24Gpps for recording variously onto a HDD, SSD or P2 recorder. Recording capacity is 20 to 50 minutes in HDD and SSD (uncompressed), or about 2 hours on P2 (compressed).

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The full performance specs of the unit, including senor sensitivity to light, will be released at an academic conference in August. Its power consumption is 45W.

The broadcaster is pursuing R&D covering all aspects of SHV broadcasts, from SHV programme production to SHV broadcasting facilities, as well as SHV TV sets for the home and is keen to produce a major arts event for its next live test.

“We are steadily reducing the size of camera and have also developed larger capacity terrestrial transmission which has enabled us to carry out the first-ever field experience of the terrestrial SHV transmission,” said Kubota. “We have devised image sensors for SHV cameras to capture fast-moving objects more clearly at 120 frames per second with the ultimate objective of perfecting a 120Hz frame rate. And we have developed a high frame-rate SHV projector.”